I picked up a 4 pack straight from the source during a visit to Kinston. It's the 2016 version I got, bottled on 4/4/16, just ahead of their 2017 release. This is an outstanding beer, slightly different take on a Belgian style Tripel, by aging in bourbon barrels. Belgian ale up front, with a nice barrel aged finish. Smooth for the abv, some sweetness, and the alcohol isn't overpowering, but definitely there.

It's rare that an American Tripel gets out of the candy sugar mode. This is something special. Not as yeast driven as a Belgian example, but you still get some great spice - cinnamon and cloves primarily - along with a blast of citrus - orange - and even a bit of melon - cantaloupe. The bourbon barrel gives mostly a soft vanillaand oak note, not much heat. A brilliant beer.

A: Pours a very hazy medium golden honey in color with very light amounts of fine visible carbonation along the edges of the glass and moderate orange + amber highlights. The beer has a quarter finger tall sudsy fizzy foamy beige head that reduces to a medium sized patch of extremely thin film and a medium thick ring at the edges of the glass. Moderate to heavy amounts of lacing are observed.

T: Upfront there is a moderate flavor of pale malts and tropical fruits/overripe pineapple stands out which contributes a light amount of sweetness. Strong flavors of bourbon, oak, and vanilla in the finish which contribute a moderate amount of sweetness and a moderate to strong amount of bourbon booziness which lingers.

M: Medium bodied with light amounts of carbonation. Moderate amounts of alcohol warming in the finish.

O: Very enjoyable but definitely a slow sipper as this beer has some pretty intense flavors and aromas. Glad I finally grabbed one of these and tried it, worth the wait. Bourbon barrel aging definitely adds to the complexity of this brew.

12oz bottle poured into a Russian River “tion” glass. Per the label, bottled on 03/17/2015. Sipped on while listening to 9 Shocks Terror.

Appearance: Pours a dark golden brown with a thin wisp of a head. Hazy body with a dull glow. Not as vibrant and without the huge rocky head as some of the Belgians but this IS barrel aged and that explains a lot about the appearance in this beer.

Aroma: Essentially whiskey soaked pineapples. Like some kind of spiked fruit punch. There’s a fleshy tropical fruit sweetness up front being held up by nice malty caramel bourbon. The bourbon character is plenty noticeable without being just booze and still bringing in some toasted oak and coconut.

Taste: Sweet fruits, candi sugar, spicy phenols and a bubblegum sweet triple base down the middle that is quickly taken over taken by nutty oak, vanilla bean, caramel, and butterscotch. As it warms the base triple beings to peek out more, and peppery phenols begin to show along with some oxidized fruit (apricot, pineapple, and pear). Great blend/match between the base beer and barrel.

Mf: Gentle prickly carbonation with a dry finish. Very sweet and almost cloying with a medium/heavy feel. Despite it being a barrel aged triple it’s surprisingly smooth. #barreljuice

Overall: Tastes like Mother Earth took a solid triple base which they then let age gracefully in bourbon barrels. They could stick a trashy label on this and sell it as some kind of “pineapple infused whiskey” drink to 21 year olds. I was worried at first that the barrel would bury the triple but letting it warm up to room temp the base beer begins to shine more and more. White pepper, clove, oxidized fruit, and bubblegum held up by a buttery oak barrel. If I had to nitpick, I’d say just a bit more carb (to cut the sweetness) and a brighter barrel presence would elevate this beer to a whole other level. Is this what HOTD wishes they could carb? Recommended.

Never thought I would enjoy one of my favorite styles given the "bourbon barrel aged" treatment, but I was wrong. Mother Earth has done a good job of combining the best of a Belgian Tripel and the "bourbon barrel aged" process. Pours a hazy but bright orange color into my Chimay goblet. Head and lacing are minimal, but a nice color. Aroma is very good. Plenty of light fruit (apples and pears) and Belgian yeast. Added to that are some bourbon flavoring and oak barrel flavor and bitterness. Taste is similar, the yeast and fruit are pure Tripel and the bourbon barrel/oak flavors are a nice complement without overpowering the Tripel flavors. Mouthfeel is rich like a Tripel but there is more of an alcohol presence than with some of the good Tripels.I bought this 12 oz single at Bruisin' Ales in Asheville NC. If I knew how good it was going to be, I would have bought at least a 6 pack!!!!!

A- Pours a murky dark amber color with a 1/8 inch off-white head that immediately dissipates to a paper-thin ring around the edge of the glass and a tiny center patch of surface foam. Semi-resilient lacing leaves a broken ring behind.